JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Knesset unanimously passed legislation that authorizes the removal of land-mine fields throughout the country.
The bill, which passed its second and third readings by a vote of 43-0, creates the National Authority for Land Mine Clearance.
The efforts of Daniel Yuval, 12, who lost his leg after stepping on a land mine last year during a hike in the Golan Heights, helped to advance the measure.
The Israeli government will commit about $7.5 million to the clearing effort; the rest is expected to come from humanitarian organizations.
The Israeli military began removing mines along the border with Jordan last month, according to Haaretz, which reported that as many as 400,000 mines are buried along that border. Hundreds of minefields also are buried in the Golan Heights, in case of war with Syria.
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